Pitching machines are widely used to develop batting and fielding skills. An example of such equipment is the Casey baseball pitching machine sold by Athletic Training Equipment Company of Santa Cruz, Calif. Comparable equipment is made available by other manufacturers. Representative ball throwing machines are also shown in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,442,823, 4,712,534, 1,897,317, 4,760,835 and 4,632,088.
The use of pitching machines for fielding practice necessitates the use of a pitching machine support which allows the pitching machine to be selectively rotated so that the balls thrown by the machine can be delivered at various angles generally along the horizontal plane. Such supports have in fact been developed; however, they are generally characterized by their relative complexity and high expense.
Various platforms and stands are known in the prior art to support various types of equipment. For example, there are such devices disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,604,371, 4,466,595, 1,151,549 and 4,411,395. These prior art arrangements do not readily lend themselves to use with pitching machines which can be quite heavy and also impart dynamic forces which tend to destabilize their supports, causing same to either go out of adjustment or literally move on the ground or other support surface.